Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1887-09-09
PROHIBITION IN KANSAS.
A Letter from Attorney General s. B.
Bradford on the Subject.

The Westere Christian Advocate
publishes the following letter from
Hon. S. B. Bradford, Attorney Cen
eral of Kansas, to Covington, KY,
minister, in reply to letter of inquiry
as to the workings of prohibition in
that State It will be of interest to
those people who believe prohibition
is "impracticable."
II was the prosecuting officer Of the
county in which I resided, prior to my
election to this position, and of course
had an opportunity of observing the
change in the habits of my immediate
neighborhood and that of my county,
containing population of about 30, 900,
and in the four years that prohibition
had been law in Kansas prior to my
election to this position, I can say
with safety that it reduced the amount
of liquor consumed at least SO per cent.
in that population. The population,
too, was made up quite largely of
foreign element, as the county was one
in which great deal of coal was mined,
and the miners came from foreign
countries or from older mining dis
tricts, where they had not been re-
stricted in their habits of drinking.
In 1885, being in the position l now
occupy, I made an Investigation, and
ascertained that in the year previous,
that is, in 1854, there was one place,
either drug store or saloon, where
liquor could possibly be obtained, either
legally or illegally, to every 674 peo-
pie. After the prohibitory law of 1885
took effect, and had been in force less
than two years, I made another inves-
tigation, and from the most reliable
evidence could obtain I found that
there was one place where liquor could
be obtained, either legally or illegally,
either from drug store or saloon,
to every 1,O01 people.
"In 1887, January and February, the
Legislature of Kansas enacted amend
ments to the prohibitory law of 1855,
and has so hedged about the sale of in
toxicating liquors that it is practically
impossible for a saloon to run any con-
siderable length of time in Kansas, if
at all, so that to-day it may be'said that
there are no saloons in Kansas. It is
possible, however, that there are few
along the borders of the State close to
the Missouri line, and it is safe to say
that to-day place where liquor can be
possibly obtained, either legally or IL
legally, does not exist, one to every
1000 or 5000 people.
"You may think from the first
thought that this is q State where,
prior to the enactment of the prohib-
tory law, great deal of drinking was
INDUCED in, owing to the fact that
there was a place where liquor could
be obtained for every 674 people. I
assure you that the population was
made up of the best bone and muscle
of the more Eastern States, and as
free from topers and constant drinkers
as any population of the same size in
the Union, and in addition thereto, we
had the reputation Of having as good a
dram-shop act as any other State in the
Union prior to the prohibitory law.
"In making the calculations I have,
have not taken into consideration the
fact that a man may take out his Gov
eminent license to sell Intoxicating
liquors for time, and after a short
time abandon the sale of Intoxicating
liquors, whether legally or illegally.
it still remains charged against him !;
hence I have the extreme limit, and
have presented the question in its dark
est phase.
1T can safely be said in Kansas now,
as possibly cannot be said as truly of
any other State, that we have church
and a school-house on every hilltop,
and no saloon in the valley. We are
growing perhaps a little vain of our
reputation; but we think we have a
right to be little vain, from the fact
that we have established that reputa-
ton against the combined efforts OF the
whole United States, or at least of the
whisky element. We are conscious of
the fact that we have had the good
wishes and sympathy of the good peo-
pie Of the country; but they have
availed us but little in the hand-to-
hand struggle we have had with the
rum power of the State. We think we
are about out OF the woods in this tight,
and we are now ready to furnish in
formation, arguments, and statistics
to any person who may call, and only
want to prove to the world what sue
cess prohibition has been in Kansas !:
and it is our wish that Texas, Ken
lucky, and especially Missouri, SO close
on our borders, may soon adopt the
same line of warfare that we have
adopted, and stop the encroachment
OF the liquor ticnd On the population OF
those several States.
I'VE think it has accomplished Won
ders in many respects. It has lessened
crime and pauperism, and has promot-
ed good society. The people that are
now coming to Kansas to locate here
permanently with their families are of
the best classes from other and more
eastern States"
lnejgie!y in America.
one OF the most interesting papers
presented to the recent colonial and
international congress on inebriety was
contribution by DR.. t. y. Crothers
read by that gentleman at reception
rendered to him and his American COL